Wind Committee Newsletter

Courtesy of Maggie Harling of the Wind Committee

Hey Northborough,

As an update to the activities of the Northborough Wind Turbine Committee there is great news that you may have read about  in the papers.   We won an $85,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative  to proceed with our feasibility study.   This was a highly competitive process and the guys on our committee worked very hard to pull together a superlative application.   CONGRATULATIONS!

The feasibility study will involve of the erection of a “MET” (meteorological) tower to measure and record wind velocity parameters and temperatures for eight months to one year.   Once the data is obtained the numbers will be “crunched” by experts and we will have an idea if a wind turbine installation  is viable  and what size would be most efficient.   The “MET” tower will to be located on Tougas Farm.   The final location of the wind turbine is yet to be determined.

As I told you before, the electricity generated by the turbine will be measured and fed into the National Grid electricity distribution system (all those wires on the poles along the street).   The Town of Northborough’s energy consumption (the bills) would then be offset based upon the net wind turbine output.

Another detail the Committee has been working on is the setup of a “Friends of Alternative Energy” group.   The Wind Committee itself cannot raise funds, so this “Friends” group will be raising money to support the activities of the Wind Committee, any other alternative energy projects in town and, hopefully, the cost of the wind turbine itself.

Now I’d like to get to some of the questions I’ve been fielding.   Most of the information for the answers has been generated from the American Wind Energy website – AWEA.

Q.   I’VE HEARD THAT WIND TURBINES HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY WILDLIFE DEATHS.   IS THAT TRUE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT IT?

A  number of   migrating birds,  and bats, have died as a result of colliding with the wind turbines.   Studies report that less than 1% of birds deaths due to activities of man are due to wind turbines.    Nevertheless, such deaths are under close study by scientists and environmental groups.     Some interesting findings have emerged.   Bird and bat kills are more frequent in the late summer and fall and turbines rotating at slow speeds are more dangerous than those whizzing around.   Both of these findings are thought to relate to these insectivores principle food source.   Mosquitos like still calm warm evening air.   Site recommendations and/or bird/bat repellent techniques are being advocated regarding placement of turbines.

Q.   ARE WIND TURBINES NOISY?

Noise may have been a problem with the earliest wind turbines, but noise has diminished as technology has improved.  Aerodynamic noise has been reduced by changing the thickness of the blade’s trailing edge and by making the machinery “upwind” rather than “downwind” so that the wind hits the rotor blades first rather than the tower.   With a “downwind” setup the “shadow” causes a thumping noise each time a blade passes behind the tower.    Background noise (such as highway traffic, for example) also masks the turbine operations.   Most turbine noise is masked by the sound of the wind itself, and the turbines run only when the wind blows.   Noise impact is regulated by the municipality and the Massachusetts DEP who regulate a setback of the turbine from a residential area.

Q.   I’VE HEARD THAT PEOPLE LIVING ADJACENT TO THE TURBINE ARE BOTHERED BY “SHADOW FLICKER”.   WHAT IS THAT?

A wind turbine’s moving blade can cast a moving shadow on a nearby residence, depending on the time of year (which determines how low the sun is in the sky) and the time of day.   This flicker can be determined very precisely as to location and duration.   Normally, this is not a problem in the  United States because at our latitudes the sun is not very low in the sky.   The setback for noise should be sufficient to prevent shadow flicker problems.

Q.   WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF WIND GENERATED ELECTRICITY?

Wind energy is a free, renewable resource, so no matter how much we use today, there will still be the same supply in the future.   Wind energy is also a source of clean, non-polluting electricity.   Unlike conventional power plants, wind turbines emit no air pollutants or greenhouse gases.   Public opinion polls show that most people favor wind energy and support for wind turbines often increases after they are operating.